A Message to Florida’s School Shooting Survivors

Dear students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:

The nation hears you. We have seen you on television and read your quotes. Despite the terror of losing 17 classmates and teachers to a gun wielding madman you are the most eloquent victims I’ve ever heard. Traumatized student-victims are usually whisked away, protected from public view. You, on the other hand, have chosen to stand up, speak your mind and demand more from the adults who are in charge.  Bravo! 

Keep talking. Please. Tell every adult who will listen about your personal experience. Talk until you have adequately described how sick your generation is of hearing about the latest body counts. Tell them about your quest, defined by the hashtag #NeverAgain, to try to wipe out the possibility of any future school shootings.

Ariana Ortega, you are only 17 years old, but you hit the nail on the head when you said, “There is something wrong with our country right now. This is common sense.”

Delaney Tarr, I was riveted as you spoke at a rally about the ease with which minors can buy deadly semiautomatic weapons in Florida. “Because of these gun laws,” you said, “people that I know have died and I will never be able to see them again.” You were so poised.

And you, Alex Wind, Cameron Kasky and Sofie Whitney — at vigils for the dead and rallies for the living we marveled at how articulately you stated your Never Again mission. Nationwide, people who care have marked their calendars for March 24th, the date you set for a massive “March For Our Lives” rally in Washington, D.C.. Because of you similar rallies are being planned in other major cities.

I note your high school was named after a pioneering female journalist who made her mark fighting for causes like environmental protection and civil rights. Marjory Stoneman Douglas would be so proud to see “her students” rallying to a cause they so passionately embrace. I wonder if Ms. Douglas would offer the same heartfelt advice I’m about to give you.

When you march on Washington don’t scream and yell in angry tones.  Words matter and so does the way in which those words are delivered. Your very presence in the nation’s capital will speak volumes but if you spend your time vilifying others your message could get lost. Realize that silence often speaks louder than words, like the silence of those teens who recently staged a poignant “die-in” in front of the White House. And be realistic in what you say.

I am not going back to school,” one of you told the Washington Post recently. “None of us from the Never Again movement will be going back to school until legislation has been passed, and until changes have been made.” The reality? Passing legislation – especially at the federal level — takes time, often lots more time than you have left in this school year. Don’t squander your education.

Please, don’t let outside forces turn your sincere message into politically tainted trash talk. Some of you have thrown barbs at President Trump as somehow being responsible for what an obviously troubled teenager did inside your school. Surely you realize there have been way too many guns in this country for a long time now, some 300 million guns in civilian hands at last count. And while your tactic of campaigning against candidates who take money from the National Rifle Association might change some lawmaker’s minds, please, don’t focus solely on the NRA. Its influence is already on the wane and, frankly, the NRA has lots more money for public relations than you do.

In short, don’t get sidetracked. Stick to your talking points:  your school was not adequately protected, and it should have been. Laws that allow an 18-year-old to buy a deadly weapon of war like the AR-15 Nikolas Cruz carried must be changed. Local law enforcement and social workers ignored multiple red flags about Cruz and should now be forced to change their procedures. The FBI failed to follow up on specific reports that Cruz posed a danger and, apparently, didn’t check his social media which would have revealed his gun stash photos. The FBI cannot allow that to happen again and if it’s a matter of money and staff Congress needs to find additional funds for the bureau, like, yesterday.

Dear students, my best piece of advice as a journalist who has covered the rallies of several movements that somehow ran off the rails with too many demands, do not be distracted from your main message. No student should feel unsafe at school. Responsible adults need to change things. Period. If you can calmly and relentlessly keep up the pressure with that simple message I, honestly, think you can change things. Done right your crusade could mean not just safer schools, but safer churches, concert venues, theaters and nightclubs.

God’s speed on your mission.

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13 Comments

  1. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Linked In Reader PJ Malik writes:

    Diane, This is an excellent column and I hope the students receive it well. Youthfulness is associated with impetuousness, and these students are not just impetuous, but hopefully dedicated. Students also have very short memories and life experiences and might not realize this problem of gun control vs. gun rights began long before Trump was in the White House. Obama was in office and Democrats controlled Congress during many of these mass shootings and incidents, such as Sandy Hook and the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, and our elected officials never accomplished reforms despite an assault on one of their own member.

  2. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    Facebook Reader Ginnie Oleskewicz Schwartz writes:

    I agree with you percent… No better people to advocate than the Survivors!!! And in my opinion they are doing an amazing job!!! #Neveragain

  3. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    Facebook Friend Madeline Michele Hovey writes:

    Keep talking. Never again. ENOUGH

  4. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    Facebook Friend Heather Costa writes:

    Beautifully said!

  5. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:00 pm

    Facebook Friend Bonnie Dudley writes:

    Dianne, what is your solution? What do you want to happen? IN all seriousness, I dont know.

  6. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:01 pm

    Facebook Friend Gary J Galligan writes:

    NONE OF THESE PEOPLE CAN EVEN VOTE IN NOVEMBER–

    • Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:01 pm

      Diane Dimond replies:

      So what? That doesn’t mean their viewpoint isn’t valuable.

      • Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:03 pm

        Facebook Friend Terry Daniel replies:

        That is inaccurate. Many of them will be 18.

  7. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:03 pm

    Facebook Friend Kurt K Guy writes:

    Too much emotion and not enough real facts for a real solution. If there really is one, unfortunately.

    • Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:04 pm

      Facebook Friend Doris Johnson writes:

      Somehow, my early training brought this across the years. Perhaps I would like to see a time when we all could care more for one another than our own self serving inclinations. “Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

  8. Diane Dimond on March 6, 2018 at 11:04 pm

    Facebook Friend Kyla Thompson writes:

    I love it!

  9. Diane Dimond on March 10, 2018 at 4:35 pm

    Rockland County (NY) Times Reader Don Adams writes:

    Thank you for writing the article that appeared in the March 8 County Times.
    The kids should have a loud voice, but not a foolish, political one as you say.

    Toward that end , please explain why you and your brethren in the media almost never talk about the real cause of this.

    What motivated this young man to seek redress, satisfaction out of killing other students?
    Why was an assault rifle purchased by him? One reason is he could and clearly that needs to be stopped.

    However, I submit to you that the real cause of this tragedy is the glorification of violence in movies, TV and video games.
    Why does no one in the media call Hollywood out?
    Why is their unbelievable hypocrisy given a pass. They are real happy to denounce gun laws, never speak against the violence they portray.

    Why don’t you encourage the kids to exercise the tremendous power they have in their pocketbook and stop watching the terrible movies and TV junk.
    Why don’t you encourage them to abandon video games – Nikolas Cruz reportedly watched them 10 -12 hours a day.

    You can help. Make your next column even more helpful.

    Don Adams
    West Nyack, NY

  10. Diane Dimond on March 12, 2018 at 8:14 am

    Rockland County Times Reader Don Adams writes:

    Thank you for writing the article that appeared in the March 8 County Times.
    The kids should have a loud voice, but not a foolish, political one as you say.

    Toward that end , please explain why you and your brethren in the media almost never talk about the real cause of this.

    What motivated this young man to seek redress, satisfaction out of killing other students?
    Why was an assault rifle purchased by him? One reason is he could and clearly that needs to be stopped.

    However, I submit to you that the real cause of this tragedy is the glorification of violence in movies, TV and video games.
    Why does no one in the media call Hollywood out?
    Why is their unbelievable hypocrisy given a pass. They are real happy to denounce gun laws, never speak against the violence they portray.

    Why don’t you encourage the kids to exercise the tremendous power they have in their pocketbook and stop watching the terrible movies and TV junk.
    Why don’t you encourage them to abandon video games – Nikolas Cruz reportedly watched them 10 -12 hours a day.

    You can help. Make your next column even more helpful.

    Don Adams
    West Nyack, NY

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